Former Long Beach Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske drops out of 34th State Senate race

Former Long Beach City Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske has withdrawn from the race for the 34th State Senate District.

LONG BEACH — Former Long Beach Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske said health issues have forced her to drop out of the race for the 34th State Senate District, according to an announcement on her personal Facebook page.

In her social media post Thursday, Schipske, 67, said an ocular blood clot that developed in January has “seriously affected” her vision.

“The process to treat this problem requires a series of painful procedures, and there is no promise of a full recovery,” Schipske wrote. “This medical condition has made campaigning difficult in recent weeks.”

About the author

Phillip Zonkel

Award-winning journalist Phillip Zonkel spent 17 years at Long Beach's Press-Telegram, where he was the first reporter in the paper's history to have a beat covering the city's vibrant LGBTQ. He also created and ran the popular and innovative LGBTQ news blog, Out in the 562.

He won two awards and received a nomination for his reporting on the local LGBTQ community, including a two-part investigation that exposed anti-gay bullying of local high school students and the school districts' failure to implement state mandated protections for LGBTQ students.